Wow. In a day when there are plenty of doomy stoner bands toiling the scene, along comes The Sword, a powerful band from Austin, Texas, that packs a potent punch on their debut CD Age of Winters for Kemado Records. Like a head on collision between early Black Sabbath, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, Down, Clutch, and The Melvins, these guys are all about sludge ridden heavy guitar riffs, sweat soaked vocals, and plenty of groove. Honestly, there's enough kick ass riff-o-rama on songs like "The Horned Goddess", "Winter's Wolves", and "Celestial Crown" to make you forget just about any other new band on the scene. The dual guitar attack of J.D. Cronise and Kyle Shutt pull off some inhuman and gargantuan riffs here that are so damn memorable and full of groove that you will not only see your head thrashing, but your feet tapping as well. When the band kicks it into overdrive, as they do on the speed metal machine "Iron Swan", the rhythm section of bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo really lets loose, alongside some itense riffing and Cronise's forceful vocals. They even march into complex prog-metal territory on the intense "Lament for the Aurochs", a real workout for drums and guitar, that is almost like a marriage of Mastodon and Iron Maiden.
This is one of 2006's early surprises, and a CD that will instantly hit you over the head like a sledgehammer and have you coming back for more. I'm predicting great things for The Sword once the metal masses have had a chance to check this impressive CD out. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Track Listing
1) Celestial Crown
2) Barael's Blade
3) Freya
4) Winter's Wolves
5) The Horned Goddess
6) Iron Swan
7) Lament for the Aurochs
8) March of the Lor
9) Eberthron
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